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nature, as explanatory factor of all the appearances of the phenomenal world. An assumption of it is the only solution to the question which unavoidably arises as to how this non-dual Reality is to be related to the complications of diverse becomings, pscudo realities in the form of innumerable appearances as multiple empirical or illusory entities. In other words, to solve the vexed problem of relation between appearance and Reality, One and many, Noumena and phenomena, this doctrinc of Mayā is introducted by Sankara.
The concept of Māyā is not a fabrication of Sankara's mind as some critics think. The word Myää is of very great antiquity and had been in considerable use in orthodox literature much before the times of Sankara. It is at least as old as Rgvella and it occurs mumber of times in Rgveda.13 It is said that 'Indra assumes many forms through mysterious powers.", It is also said that 'by overcoming the Maya of the demons Indra won the Soma.''5 It is also found in Atharvaveda, 16 earlier Upanişads', Bhagavadgital8 and Yogavāsistha.19 In all these texts, this word is used primarily in the sense of mystical power, or cover, veil or ignorance. An indepth study of these scriptures reveals that Sankara's interpretation of this word is more faithful to the intended purpose of these scriptures than the views of anti-Sankaraites.
As in Rgveda and other ancient scriptures, so in Sankara's works too, 'Māya' has been used in varied senses. At places, it is used in the sense of illusory appearances, it is also used to connote the mysterious power of the almighty creator and Lord of the world.20 It is through and by dint of this his indescribable power that the supreme Lord of all, assumes, unaffectedly, the creatorship of the entire universe. This power, says Sankara, has got to be posited, or without it the highest Lord could not be conceived as creator, as he could not become active, if he were distitute of the potentiality of action'.21 This Mayā or causal potentiality has for its substratum or support the highest Lord and it is denoted by the term avyakta 22 It is this very 'Māyā' of the supreme Lord which in the scriptures has some times been designated as 'akasa' and some times as 'aksara' (indescribable).23 What has been called 'Praksi' in the Sruti and Smrti is this "Māya' itself, and the names and forms which belong to the self of the omniscient Lord as it were and which constitute the seed of the entire phenomenal world and cannot be defined as either real or unreal are also the same as this Maya.24 Prakrii, according to Sankara, is nothing but this Maya' of the Lord which is the causal potentiality of all the effects and has the three guņas as its constituents.25 It is called 'avyalta', for it cannot be described either as real or as unreal.20 This
